Annie glanced at the clock on the wall. Claire was late, which was uncharacteristic for her. She also didn’t answer when Annie tried to call to confirm she was on her way.
Annie sent Claire a follow-up text asking her to call as soon as she received the message. She gathered her handbag and tried to ring Claire one more time.
Nothing.
Just then she received a text from Will asking her if she could drop by the office before the wedding. She was the type to arrive to events early because she hated to be late. Technically she did have time, but not much.
Is it an emergency?
Will: I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.
That was definitely the truth. She sent a text to Claire instructing her to meet her at the lodge then wrote to Will: On my way.
Ten minutes later she pulled into the parking lot of her office and smoothed her dress down, taking a deep breath as she did. Dealing with the unexpected was par for the course when one owned their own company. Whatever it was, she’d handle as much of it as she could immediately then come back to sort it out after the wedding.
As she exited her car, it was Claire rather than Will who waved to her from the hangar door. Annie shook her head, confused. She walked toward her, wondering if Claire had asked to meet her there and she’d somehow forgotten. No, Claire had said she wanted to see her family while she was in town so she’d flown in the night before. They hadn’t spoken again after that, but the plan had definitely been to meet at Annie’s.
The sound of a helicopter approaching drew Annie’s attention to the sky. Like a mother knows the footsteps of her own child, she recognized the sound of Forever before the small craft appeared over the treetops.
What the hell?
Freshly painted silver with her name in black lettering on the side, she temporarily stole Annie’s ability to breathe. It had broken Annie’s heart the morning she’d come to work and the craft was gone, but she’d told herself it was for the best. She couldn’t hate Will for scrapping the chopper, considering she’d told him to. But there she was—back and better than before. How?
As soon as the helicopter touched down, the engine cut and Will exited it. He walked to where Annie was standing in stunned silence.
“At least listen to what he has to say,” Will said, then walked past Annie.
Annie looked over her shoulder to see Claire filming with her phone. She motioned for Annie to turn back toward the helicopter.
Feeling as if everything were moving in slow motion, Annie did. Kade was standing beside the open passenger side door with a smile that warmed her right down to her toes.
He took a step toward her.
She took a step toward him.
They met in the middle and simply stood there for a long moment, staring into each other’s eyes. In a husky voice, he asked, “What do you think of Forever now?”
Was that what he was offering or was he referring to her helicopter? She physically shook from the intensity of her conflicting emotions. She wanted to throw her arms around him even as she fought an equally strong desire to run before she made a fool of herself again. This could simply be an extravagant parting gift.
He took both of her hands in his. “You have every reason to doubt me, Annie. It took having my life turned upside down for me to realize you were always meant to be part of it.”
The rest of the world faded away, unimportant. There was only Kade and her fear.
“I love you, Annie.”
All she could do was look back at him and hope her nervously churning stomach didn’t empty itself. He deserved the truth, though. “I’m scared, Kade.”
“I’m scared too,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “Terrified that my thick-headedness cost me my chance with you. No one else ever touched my heart, Annie, because it has always been yours. Sappy as it may sound, I gave it to you our second year of school. You’d spilled milk . . .”
Her fears fell away because the love in his eyes could not be questioned. Annie burst into tears as a huge smile spread across her face. “And you offered me your Vegemite sandwich. That’s the day I fell in love with you too.” He loves me. This is really happening.
He hugged her to his chest, tucking her beneath his chin. His heart beat so loudly that she knew he was feeling the same level of emotion. “I’m so sorry I left you, Annie.”
She sniffed. “You had to go. I knew it then. You needed to take care of your family.”
He raised his head. “I did, but I should have taken you with me.” He nodded toward her helicopter. “I hope you’re not upset with me for going behind your back to fix her up. I knew how much she meant to you. I also knew you had plans to refurbish her. You made sensible choices that built up your company. We both put what we wanted on hold because we had responsibilities we felt needed to come first, but doing the right thing shouldn’t cost us what we love.”
“No, it shouldn’t. What you did with Forever is amazing. I don’t know what to say beyond thank you.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. With the two possible paths her life could have taken laid out before her, she saw their time apart in a new light. Who would she have been had she gone with him to Wabonga? “Maybe we needed that time. Back then I loved you in a way that left no room for me. My dreams were whatever I thought you would want from me. When you left I was forced to ask myself what I wanted. I took the best of what I learned while I was with you and became my own person.”
He cupped a side of her face with one of his hands. “You certainly did. I want a second chance at forever with you and I hope that this”—he referenced the helicopter behind him—“represents a new beginning for both of us. We belong together, just like she belongs in your hangar.” With no regard for the suit he wore, he dropped to one knee and held out a green diamond ring. “I’ve loved you my whole life. It took me a while to see it, but a part of me always knew this moment would happen for us. Say you’ll marry me, Annie. Two crazy second graders couldn’t be wrong about something this important.”
“Oh, my gosh, Kade, it’s so. . .” She hesitated. Huge. Expensive. “Where did you get the ring?”
“Sophie gave it to me. Dale bought it for her as a token of a new beginning for them. She thought it was fitting for us.”
A new beginning. It was fitting. “You’ve gotten pretty close to them, haven’t you?” Close enough to leave with them? She didn’t dare ask.
“Absolutely.”
The little voice in her head that had whispered he might not feel this way when his life settled reared its ugly head again, but as she looked at the stunning ring she realized her happiness was truly in her own hands. Every single time her helicopter lifted off the ground, she had to trust it wouldn’t fail her. One day it might, but she would never leave the ground if she let the fear of what could go wrong stop her from soaring through the skies.
And what a sad life that would be.
She held out her left hand. “Hell yes, I’ll marry you, Kade. For me, it has always been you.”
He slid the diamond on her finger and stood. “I don’t know where this crazy Barrington/Thompson thing will take me, but I know I want you by my side. Will you come along on this crazy ride?”
Nodding wildly, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him with all the boldness of a woman who knew she was loved. He kissed her back with all the possessiveness of a man laying claim to what was his. When they finally broke off the kiss, they were both breathing heavily and chuckling.
“I love you, Kade Thompson,” she said, running her fingers over his firm lips. “I just hope Kent is as good in bed.”
He gave her a playful swat on the arse. “Is that what you’re thinking about right now?”
Lighthearted, she shrugged and shifted against his cock, loving how hard he was for her. “Sorry, you’re not?”
He kissed her deeply until she almost forgot they had an audience. She glanced back only to find they were alone. “Where did they go?”
Between kis
ses Kade said, “I asked Will to drive Claire to the lodge.” He swung her up into his arms. “Do you still have that big leather couch in your office?”
“Yes,” Annie said breathlessly. “But we can’t miss the wedding.”
He strode through the hangar toward her office. “I had them push it back an hour.”
“You didn’t.” Annie blushed bright red.
“Too little time? Should I call and ask for more?” he asked as he pushed the door of her office open and closed it behind them. The grin on his face was sexy as hell.
“Don’t you dare,” she scolded, but she was laughing. All embarrassment fell away when her dress hit the floor. An hour? They could make that work.
“Oh, I dare.” He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it on the floor. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, put on a cheesy romance song, and continued to strip to the music. When he was naked with his cock at full attention, he helped her out of her lingerie, and twirled her around in a dance that left them both laughing.
While bent over his arm in a final dip, he trailed kisses across her shoulder and began to adore her breasts with his lips and tongue. The nature of the dance changed as hunger for each other took over.
A short time later, after nearly being late to the wedding and arriving looking both flustered and sated, Kade and Annie held hands as they watched Grant and Viviana exchange their vows. It was a remarkably simple yet tasteful ceremony, attended by the family and a few close friends. Annie’s family was in attendance as well as Pamela and Dave.
The newlyweds had their first dance then cut their cake, because Viviana had joked that the last thing a pregnant bride should have to do on her wedding day was wait for the cake. No one argued with that.
Everyone was seated beneath a white tent when Grant stood and tapped a fork against his glass, drawing the attention of all. He smiled at Viviana before speaking. “If someone had told me that Viv and I would marry in Australia with all of you in attendance, I wouldn’t have believed them. Yet, here we are. Our family and friendships have been tested, but we came out better and stronger because of it. The road before us may still hold challenges, but we’ve proven that together we can handle anything.” He looked at his new wife again and then around the room. “I used to watch the families on TV and wonder why ours didn’t get along the way theirs did. Over the years, I’ve realized it’s because they weren’t real.”
“I’m serious.” In response to a round of chuckles, Grant raised his hand in a quiet request for another moment of their time. “Viviana, for better or for worse, you’re now a Barrington. God knows our family needs—”
“And we’re happy to have her.” Dale stood, and clapped Grant on the back as he spoke over him.
Lance chimed in. “Good save, Dad.”
Viviana started laughing. Sophie shook her head, but she was smiling.
“I don’t get what’s so funny,” Connor grumbled.
Dylan socked his brother in the arm. “You don’t remember how he used to insult her?”
“What’s funny about him being a dick?” Although Connor had likely meant the question solely for his brother’s ears, it was heard by most of the group.
Viviana’s father moved to stand behind his sons and bent to tell them to quiet or he’d tan their hides.
Grant interjected, “I was merely expressing how good you are for my family, Viviana.”
Viviana rose to her feet and gave her husband a kiss. “I know. I don’t know that I’d want you to change, even if you could.”
Still looking concerned, Grant said, “Even when I first said it, I never meant—”
“Stop while you’re ahead, Grant,” Asher advised.
With flushed cheeks, Grant did. He simply gathered his wife to him and kissed her until she looked as flustered as he did.
It was a sweet, romantic display no one seemed to mind. Kade’s attention swung to Annie who was smiling in her seat beside him. “I want to announce our news, but I don’t want to take away from their day.”
Annie ran a hand down his jaw. “So many people wouldn’t think like that, but it doesn’t surprise me at all that you do.” She glanced around, down at her ring, then smiled back up at him. “They all probably know, anyway.”
He laid his hand over hers. “I spoke to Grant earlier, and he said they’re heading to Boston tomorrow night. They asked me if I’d go back with them.”
Her eyes rounded. “What did you say?”
“I said I needed to talk to you about it first. I know your business is important to you, Annie, but could you run it from Boston for a while?”
She searched his face before answering. “I could.”
“You said something earlier that hit home to me. I don’t want you to ever put your dreams aside for mine. That’s not what love requires. You’ve always been one step ahead of me when it comes to planning. Help me do this right. I’m ridiculously, crazy rich, but I need to do something of importance with my inheritance. There has to be a reason that money came to me. I don’t know what that is yet, but I’m confident we can figure it out together and do something that will make a real difference to people in need.”
She shook her head in bemusement. “You are one amazing man, Kade.”
To make her laugh, he puffed out his chest and said, “I am pretty wonderful. When something is this good, you should seal the deal fast. What do you think of having our wedding next week?”
She slapped a hand on his chest and gasped. “Next week? Where? Here? In Boston?”
He nuzzled her neck. “Wherever we are.”
She chuckled. “What about my parents? Harrison? Claire?”
“We’ll fly them over. Money doesn’t solve everything, but it does make planning easy. I’m pretty sure I can snap my fingers and have a fleet of private planes in the air.”
Annie shook him by the shoulders. “Oh, boy, you do need my help. Someone needs to keep your feet grounded in reality.”
He tapped her chin lightly. “Then what do you say to a quick wedding?”
She nodded. “And it would save us from whatever Clay would have planned.”
“Oh, shit, I almost forgot about that.” He shuddered.
The band began to play a slow ballad. Kade stood and took Annie by the hand. He spun her onto the floor and into his arms. They still had a lot to figure out, but none of it mattered at that moment. They were both where they were always meant to be.
Epilogue
‡
A few months later, in a park just outside Boston, Annie waved nervously at a crowd of people who had gathered along the path. The click-clack of the horses’ shoes hitting pavement was nearly drowned out by the applause. Never had Annie imagined her wedding day would include a custom-made designer dress, a tiara worth more than her fleet of helicopters, white doves, an ornate white horse-drawn carriage, and nearly a thousand people.
With his arm resting on the back of the carriage seat behind her, Kade leaned in to wave with her and asked, “Do you feel like a princess?”
“Would that make you Prince Charming?” Annie smiled. Unlike the extravagance of the day, this was the part of her wedding day she’d dreamed about—Kade at her side looking at her the same way she looked at him.
Kade winked. “Hardly. What did that guy ever do besides show up? I also suspect he was horrible in the sack. Wasn’t he with Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White? There must have been a reason none of them kept him around.”
Annie laughed. “You have put a disturbing amount of thought into this.”
With a surprisingly serious expression, Kade answered, “I have. You don’t need a Prince Charming, Annie. You’re not a damsel in distress waiting for some man to sweep in and save you. If anything, I think I need you a hell of a lot more than you need me. You have a way of bringing out the best in people—even in the most awkward situations. The Andrades are here today because you made them feel welcome.”
“I had no idea how many of them there were,” Annie
joked, then added gently, “Plus they were victims of Patrice’s jealousy just as much as you were. Julia, Gio’s wife, told me how Patrice used her own sons as pawns in a sick game of revenge no one understood until just before she died. It’s such a sad story. That’s why I agreed to all of this”—she waved from the carriage at the crowd—“because your uncle Alessandro said they needed to celebrate your return. They needed closure.”
Kade kissed her cheek. “Alessandro is quite a character. I don’t believe everyone here is actually related to him.”
Still waving at the people they passed, Annie said, “Sophie said he has a flexible definition of family, one that doesn’t require blood relation. Just love.”
Kade nuzzled her again. “I like that definition of family.”
“I do too.”
“Look at that,” Kade said while pointing to the sky. “Is someone skywriting our names in a heart?”
A quick look confirmed that Kade’s guess was correct. Annie chuckled. “Clay went a little overboard, don’t you think?”
“Dax said he’s never seen Clay put so much thought into a project. I’m almost afraid to see what he has planned for the reception.” Kade wiggled his eyebrows. “A trapeze act? Really, it’s kind of cool to have no idea.”
“Or hot-air balloon races?” There was no limit to what Clay was capable of. When it came to the wedding, it had been like having a real-life fairy godmother—if one replaced the fairy’s wand with a bottomless bank account. Leaning back into the warmth of Kade’s embrace, Annie sighed in happy contentment. Yes, that day was a wild adventure, but with Kade at her side her life would probably be full of those. “I’m so happy Viviana was able to make it today with her due date so close. She looks calmer than Grant, though.”
“About that,” Kade said, looking serious again. “Do you mind if we postpone our honeymoon until after the baby is born? I’d like to be here for the baby’s birth.”
Forever Now (The Barrington Billionaires Book 6) Page 19
